Springtime Job Market 2005 - Here comes the Sun!!!

Chandra Fox

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So the looming clouds of unemployment and a frightening job market are dissipating and the sun is beginning to shine down on all anxious jobseekers. 250,000+ new jobs were created in February 2005, spanning most job sectors of the economy. There were 300,000 more people working in February 2005 than in February 2001, the pre-recession peak. Add to this bright new information on the decrease in the storm of jobless claims and the budding of help-wanted ads and Spring is starting to look promising with many opportunities blooming. Now is the time for the prospective jobseekers to take action and pick their new position.

The Sunshine State is blooming fastest of all, with many opportunities and 250,000 new positions, it is the clear leader above any other state, but the turnaround is widespread and is happening in every state. The industries to keep an eye on are education, healthcare, government, even the judged as completely dormant - technology, and the good old manufacturing jobs (mostly biomedical engineering) are coming back into bloom. Dice.com states they have had a 71% increase in technology-related jobs posted. Take a course on Wireless Networks, as that will be a new area of focus that is not saturated since most IT professionals are not completely familiar with this sector just yet.

With this new information, you should realize that you should put your resume out there and watch your career grow in the current market. So how do you start? Begin looking online to see what type of jobs interest you. Then research the companies that spark your interest (Hoover's online for Fortune 500 and Alexa for dotcoms). See what you think will be your best match. You find the company you are thinking about and you know the type of job you want - now what? Time to dig up that old resume and make sure it stands out - how you ask?

Here are a few things that will tell you if you need some help in your resume writing and editing.

Your old resume has the following:

• Still has an objective. Kind of outdated and used mostly for those three years out of college unless required by a job board. Summary of Qualifications or Highlights of Qualifications are more appropriate these days.
• Only lists job descriptions and has nothing that differentiates you in your current position from your competition. Primary achievements are items future companies most prefer to review.
• You have listed on your resume your birth date, married with three children, your photo, height and weight or anything along these lines. The hiring laws now in place do not allow for this information - be sure to take it off.
• Your resume goes back to 1968. Only go back 10-15 years, unless you are C-level or have been with the same company for your entire career. If the reader only gives the resume 30 seconds you don't want them calculating your age rather than reading your amazing accomplishments throughout your career.

These are the main areas that are not helping but hurting your chances of getting a position because of your resume. If you need help, hire a professional resume writing service. They are objective and know what HR professionals are looking for in a resume.

Now you know where you want to go and your resume is perfect, so now what? Be an active not a passive job seeker. Simply throwing your resume up on job boards should not be the only way you search. In order to obtain the position you want, you should do more. Contact old recruiters, start doing some networking with old co-workers and pals throughout your career and become informed of what others are doing these days. This should open up a few opportunities for you too.

So you've got your resume posted online, recruiters working for you and you are on task. That is a great start. If you really haven't kept up with networking, join your local Chamber of Commerce or Industry associations. That generally opens up a few opportunities for you.

The dark cloud of unemployment and job dissatisfaction is passing. The job climate is just right for you to go after the job of your dreams. Once you've utilized all of your resources and strategically implemented an active job search, everything will come up daisies as you enjoy your new-found success.

 

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